The Battle With SEO Keywords

Choosing just the right words for search engine optimization (SEO) can be a bit like walking a tightrope. Lean too far to one side or another and you can find yourself taking a spill. A lot of people new to SEO make the mistake of either going too broad or too narrow.
So how do you know when you have strong, catchy keywords? Well, here are a few tips to help you find something that will work for you.

THINK ABOUT WHAT YOUR DENTAL WEBSITE OFFERS

One of the biggest hurdles is trying to pin down exactly what it is you want people to know about what you offer. For businesses that specialize in one very particular service, things might be a bit easier, but even then coming up with the right keywords can be tricky.
For dentists and endodontists, it may seem natural to go with a keyword like teeth or even dentist. But these are going to be too generic, even if they do cover the types of services you have to offer. Try to be more specific. Teeth cleaning, root canal, or family dentist are examples of slightly more specific keywords. Being more specific gives you a greater chance of ranking in search results. However, you need to narrow your keywords even further to be found in your area. By adding in your location or nearby locations to your keywords such as "Alton Endodontist" or "Sacramento Root Canal", you will be discoverable in your area when people search.

CHECK THINGS OUT FOR YOURSELF

Take a trip to your computer and hop onto Google, Bing, and Yahoo. Get a feel for what is doing well already by typing in a keyword or two that you might be considering. Before you hit the search button, notice that drop-down menu that gives you some suggestions? On Google, that drop-down is called Google Suggest, and it shows the most relevant phrases relating to what you have typed in. For example, if you type in root canal, you will see listings such as root canal cost,root canal pain, root canal symptoms, etc.
This will give you an idea what keywords are ranking well. Now, obviously, you don't want to just take one of these as your own. But, you can use the information to find keywords that might offer up less competition, giving you an in for that VIP drop-down.
TO VARY, OR NOT TO VARY?
One big question people have about keywords is whether or not they should repeat the same keyword or phrase over and over, or if it is more beneficial to vary the keywords. It is perfectly acceptable to repeat keywords, but there is a caveat. You should make sure that the meanings behind your keywords are different enough.

Having teeth cleaning and teeth cleaning online pretty much mean the same thing, but using teeth cleaning in Minneapolis and teeth cleaning for less are different enough that the key phrase isn't redundant.

STICK-TO-ITIVENESS

Rome, as they say, wasn't built in a day, and neither will your rankings. It takes some time and consistency to hit that coveted first page of search results, but that's exactly where you want to be. A recent survey showed that 75% ignore all but the first page of search results.
Your keywords should reflect what you write about often and what your dental website continually focuses on. Even if your site has blogs about tooth decay, veneers, and kids' favorite toothpaste, you have an underlying emphasis. Look at the blog titles, pages, and content you have and expand on any common keywords that you may already be using.

ONLINE RESOURCES

If you want to know more, you can really get in depth with keywords. There are some excellent online resources available, too. Google, for instance, has a ton of analytic resources you can use. Check out Google's AdWords or the Google Trends page to get started.